Students, punished for praying, sue college
The Scenario: Christian students were disciplined after one prayed with an instructor in a faculty office. Did the university go too far? The students sued for free speech violations. The school had no...
View ArticleFacebook and free speech: One student’s battle
A student was suspended after using an unflattering image of his school’s president as his Facebook profile picture. Did this violate his free speech rights? Law student Adam Key isolated a video frame...
View ArticleWhen harassment policies go too far
Can a university’s policy on hazing and harassment prohibit conduct that “frightens, demeans, degrades or disgraces any person”? The University of the Virgin Islands disciplined student Stephen...
View ArticleCan professor squelch student’s abortion speech?
The student chose abortion as her topic for a public speaking assignment. When her professor told her to pick something else, she sued. Franchesca O’Neal was a student in Professor Charles Falcon’s...
View ArticlePreacher sues over campus use policy
A preacher ran into some trouble after trying to spread his word on campus, so he sued. Did he win? John McGlone is an evangelical Christian who likes to share his faith on college campuses. But when...
View ArticleStudents challenge ‘unruly gatherings’ ordinance
A beach town wanted to keep a lid on rowdy vacationing college students. But did its “unruly gatherings” ordinance go too far? The beach town of Narragansett, Rhode Island is a popular summer rental...
View Article12 schools that earned an ‘F’ in speech rights
Student speech is trickier than ever, and these universities didn’t pass the test, according to one students’ rights organization. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) called out...
View Article7 great colleges for those who value free speech
Where to draw the line on speech at school is a constant subject of debate. These schools earned a hat tip from a defender of students’ rights. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)...
View ArticleFired for speaking out? Outspoken prof sues school
How far can schools go to regulate the off-campus speech of professors? This case tests the limits. Louisiana State University hired Ivor van Heerden in 1992 to work at the Louisiana Geological Survey....
View ArticleSeriously? That’s the candidate you’re backing?
This university has a political free speech debate brewing — just in time for the Republican primaries. The Foundation of Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) sent a letter to Auburn University,...
View ArticleStudents challenge ‘tiny’ free speech zone
Can a public school pigeon-hole students who want to engage in expressive activity to a small area on campus? Not according to the University of Cincinnati chapter of a student group called Young...
View ArticleZip it! List ranks worst schools for free speech
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, (FIRE) a nonprofit educational foundation whose mission is to “to defend and sustain individual rights at America’s colleges and universities,” has...
View ArticleCollege opens lecture to (almost) everyone
A court was asked to decide whether a woman’s exclusion from a college lecture was justified. When Margo Roman tried to attend a lecture on the campus of Tufts College, she was turned away. The lecture...
View ArticleCourt backs restriction on faculty email use
When public school faculty members speak about job-related matters, there are limits. Idaho State University used an email service called Mailman to create various email lists, including one called...
View ArticleSchool in hot water for limiting preacher’s speech
A court considered an evangelical Christian’s claim that a university violated his legal rights by limiting his ability to speak on campus. John McGlone is a professing evangelical Christian who...
View ArticleSchool can’t restrict students to ‘free speech area’
A judge found a student group is likely to win its free-speech lawsuit. An Ohio federal judge agreed to order a university not to: • require students to notify it in advance when they plan to solicit...
View ArticleOfficial’s op-ed piece causes flap
A university was not happy with views expressed by a high-ranking person in its HR department. Crystal Dixon began working at the University of Toledo in January of 2002. By 2008, she had become the...
View ArticleInstructor threatens to shoot — then sues!
This instructor didn’t get the memo saying there are limits when it comes to keeping students in line. Peter Quint, who is deaf, taught American Sign Language at the University of Oregon. Quint had a...
View ArticleSchool foots big bill in student paper suit
Wrapping up a First Amendment suit over student-journalists’ free speech rights, a New York federal judge has ordered a university to pay more than $233,000 toward the students’ legal costs. The...
View ArticleMixed ruling for school in free speech case
A man who was arrested after distributing leaflets about vegetarianism at a New York college will proceed with several claims raised in his lawsuit. Richard Hershey is a vegetarian advocate who spends...
View ArticleCan school require ‘sponsors’ for outside speakers?
A preacher challenged a university’s rule under the First Amendment. A vague university rule requiring outsiders to secure a “sponsor” before speaking on campus probably violates the First Amendment,...
View ArticleCan student paper advertise booze?
A Virginia regulation tried to ban the practice. See what happened in court. A federal appeals court said the ban violated the First Amendment as applied to two publishers. To combat underage and...
View ArticleRuling boosts faculty’s speech rights
The free speech rights of faculty members at public schools received a boost from a recent ruling by a federal appeals court. The court said a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court decision that severely restricts...
View ArticleSchool cops did not violate preachers’ rights
When Christian evangelists created a scene near a mosque, university police moved in. Christian evangelist Michael Marcavage leads an organization called Repent America. Members of the group engage in...
View ArticleCourt backs decision to ban visitor
A federal district court rejected a man’s claim that he was banned from a community college’s library in violation of the First Amendment and the Equal Protection Clause. Zeewe Dakar Mpala was a...
View ArticleLawsuit blitz champions student speech rights
It’s believed to be the first coordinated legal attack on free speech restrictions in higher education. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) has filed a lawsuit against Citrus...
View ArticleSupreme Court rules on public employee First Amendment issue
An Alabama college employee testified in court against a former co-worker after he outed her for fraud. A year later he was fired and filed suit. Did he state a valid First Amendment claim? Yes, the...
View ArticleUniversity becomes one of only 19 in the nation to be awarded this honor
Here’s one institution that’s taking steps to make sure its students’ First Amendment rights are protected. The University of Florida (UF) was recently applauded by FIRE for its successful efforts...
View ArticleFan banned from athletic events claims university violated his First...
When a sports fan’s behavior crossed a line, this school took action and banned him from athletic events. The fan filed suit. Here’s how the court weighed in. John Donnelly, a 1970 graduate of the...
View ArticleStudent disciplined after ‘Fifty Shades’ letter: Was it justified?
After a student’s explicit love letter to a co-ed became the center of a university disciplinary hearing, he sued the school citing gender discrimination and a First Amendment violation. Did he state...
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